Sukuma language

Sukuma
Kɪsukuma/Kisukuma
RegionTanzania
EthnicitySukuma
Native speakers
8.1 million (2016)[1]
Dialects
  • Gwe
  • Kiya
Language codes
ISO 639-2suk
ISO 639-3suk
Glottologsuku1261
F.21[2]

Sukuma is a Bantu language of Tanzania, spoken in an area southeast of Lake Victoria between Mwanza, Shinyanga, and Lake Eyasi.[3]

Its orthography uses Roman script without special letters, which resembles that used for Swahili, and has been used for Bible translations[4] and in religious literature.[5]

Dialects (KɪmunaSukuma in the west, GɪmunaNtuzu/GɪnaNtuzu in the northeast, and Jìnàkɪ̀ɪ̀yâ/JimunaKɪɪyâ in the southeast) are easily mutually intelligible.[6]

  1. ^ Sukuma at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. ^ Margaret Arminel Bryan, compiler, The Bantu Languages of Africa, Oxford University Press, 1959.
  4. ^ The Gospel in Many Tongues, The British and Foreign Bible Society, London, 1965.
  5. ^ Kitabo sha Sala na sha Mimbo, Diochesi ya Mwanza, edited / approved by Bishop Renatus Butibubage, 1963.
  6. ^ The prefixes kɪ-, gɪ-, ji- are dialectical variants.